Britain's King Charles III officially announced the opening of a new era at the coronation ceremony at Westminister Abbey on May 6th.

 

Charles III's coronation, which was held 70 years after Queen Elizabeth's coronation, was a huge national event.

 

It was an opportunity to reveal the majesty of the king with colorful ceremonies and religious rituals based on long traditons, and emphasized the legitimacy of the king as being chosen by God.

 

Starting with the coronation ceremony, Queen Camilla will also finally be called 'Queen' as the Queen Consort.

 

Coronations at Westminister Abbey began in 1066 with William I, Charles III, was the 40th king to be crowned here.

 

The number of people attending the coronation ceremony was about 2,200, down to a quarter of that of the Queen.

 

Representatives from 203 countries around the world, including about 100 heads of state, were invited.

 

First Lady Jill Biden attended on behalf of U.S. president Joe Biden, and the French president as well as heads of other commonwealth countries also kept their seats.

 

Prime Minister Han Deoksu, who attended as a representative of the Korean government, arrived in Britain on the 4th.

 

Unlike the Queen's coronation, kings of other major countries also attended.

 

While the number of nobles has decreased significantly, community volunteers such as 'COVID-19 heroes' and figures related to the social welfare foundation of Charles III and his wife also watched the coronation.

 

Prince Harry, who separated from with the royal family and is in conflict with them, came alone without his wife Megan Markle.

 

Charles III and his wife left Buckingham Palace at 10:20 a.m. before the coronation began. The 'King's procession', consisting of the 'Diamond Jubilee Carriage' and about 200 members of the king's escort, headed to Westminister Abbey via the mall and Trafalgar Square.

 

The coronation ceremony was held by Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, the highest priest of the Church of England.

 

For the Church of England, the ritual of sitting on a 700-year-old coronation chair and applying holy oil is considered an inner moment with God and is not open to the public.

 

At the end of the sacrificial rite, Charles III wore the crown of coronation, king's itemscalled regalia.

 

The coronation emphasized diversity and eco-friendly values, reflecting modern British Society.

 

It embraced a variety of religions and languages and gave women and people of color a major role.

 

The fact that the descendants of Queen Camilla from her first marriage participated as an honorary starter was also interpreted as showing the appearance of a modern family. Prince George, the eldest grandson of King Charles III, was also an honorary starter.

 

The queen's crown, some of her robes, gloves, and chairs are not newly made, instead they reused those of the previous king and queens. They are made of animal-friendly materials, and invitations were made of recycled paper.

 

At the end of the coronation ceremony, the bell rang and the salute was fired. The 'coronation procession' returning to Buckingham Palace departed at 1 p.m. The king and his wife were followed by about 4,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers in a 'golden carriage' for the approximately 2km return.

 

Finally, Charles III and Prince William's family came out on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet the public, and at this time, air force planes and the other aircraft flew separately.

 

It was meaningful to be able to experience the history of England for a short time through the news of the coronation ceremony. It was also amazing to see the ornaments that showed how strong the Royal Family was in the past.

L.L.F reporter Ye-jin Seok

석예진  syjsyj0404@naver.com